Live Review: Opeth, Caligula's Horse

Opeth graced Adelaide with their presence for a steaming hot headline show that humbly blew minds and captivated the audience (despite the near-40 degree heat) with progressive death metal tunes that have defined an entire generation.

Openers Caligula's Horse have come a massive way in a very short time. Looking entirely comfortable on the Thebarton Theatre's massive stage new drummer Josh Griffin has settled into the band extremely well, performing the tunes with finesse and confidence. Sadly, this is guitarist Zac Greensill's final tour with the band and he was giving it his all. Meanwhile, Jim Grey's voice soared and bassist Dave Couper's stage presence was delightful. Together with Sam Vallen's solos you can tell why Caligula's Horse have obtained one of the best recording deals for an Australian prog band in recent memory.

As Opeth's introductory score played out bassist Martin Mendez, keyboardist Joakim Svalberg and drummer Martin "Axe" Axenrot appeared on stage and broke into the saucy hook from their current record's title track Sorceress, characterised by an array of ghost notes and an old school prog rock keyboard tone. Frontman Mikael Akerfeldt and lead guitarist Fredrik Akesson appeared on stage just before the song's verse. The dark and gothic nature of Opeth is utterly apparent and pervading in the live setting. The heritage architecture of the Thebarton Theatre complemented the occult-like vocal sound of Akerfeldt, who moved effortlessly from clean notes to ominous growls without so much as a deep breath while the band intertwined newer tracks with older favourites like Ghost Of Perdition and Demon Of The Fall. Svalberg's backing vocals also shone through, with a surprising number of higher octave lines being his sole responsibility as he played keys simultaneously.

Fredrik Akesson's guitar solos were deeply impressive, especially on new number The Wilde Flowers. Atmospheric track The Devil's Orchard led straight into the triumphant progressive stylings of Cusp Of Eternity, where Akerfeldt exclaimed that "God is dead" before the delicious verse riff was penetrated by Akesson's lightning fast fingers. The show culminated with their heaviest numbers: crowd favourites The Drapery Falls and Deliverance. An astounding drummer, it's hard to believe Axenrot pulled through the entire set in a pair of black jeans, his hands and feet never pausing in a blur of independent movement.